Brain Sprout Clinic Assessments
Developmental Assessments
Explore your child’s development across different areas to better understand their strengths, emerging skills and where additional support may be helpful.
Understanding Development and Early Learning
Play-Based Assessment
Measures strengths, difficulties and emerging skills
Assessments for toddlers and young children.
Exploring How Your Child Is Growing and Learning
Practical Reports and meaningful next steps.
Understanding the Assessment
Children develop different skills at different times and in different ways. Sometimes there may be questions about whether a child’s development is progressing as expected, particularly when they appear to need more support than other children of a similar age.
A developmental assessment looks across multiple areas of development rather than focusing on one skill in isolation. It can help develop a clearer understanding of your child’s strengths, emerging abilities and areas where development may be delayed or require additional support.
At Brain Sprout Clinic, we bring together assessment activities, developmental history, observation and information from the people who know your child well to understand their development as a whole.
Families may consider a developmental assessment when there are questions or concerns about a child’s overall development.
This might include:
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learning and problem solving
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communication and language
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movement and coordination
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independence and everyday skills
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social and emotional development
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play and engagement
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development progressing differently across different areas
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developmental skills appearing behind those expected for age
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understanding strengths and support needs
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possible Global Developmental Delay (GDD).
An assessment may also be helpful when a child's development is already being supported and their family or treating team would like a clearer picture of their current developmental profile.
Developmental assessment is designed with young children in mind. Rather than expecting a child to sit at a table and complete a traditional test, assessment may involve play, conversation, pictures, toys, movement and different activities.
We consider how your child approaches and responds to activities alongside information about their development and everyday experiences.
A developmental assessment typically includes:
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a comprehensive developmental and clinical history with a parent or caregiver
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developmental assessment using the Griffiths Scales of Child Development
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observation and interaction with your child
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information from parents or caregivers
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information from childcare, kindergarten or school where relevant
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review of previous medical, developmental or therapy reports
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consideration of your child's broader developmental profile
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a feedback session
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a comprehensive written report with individualised recommendations.
At Brain Sprout Clinic, we use the Griffiths Scales of Child Development to develop a comprehensive picture of a young child’s development. Rather than focusing on a single ability, the Griffiths looks at development across several areas to understand how a child is learning, communicating, moving, interacting and developing everyday skills.
The assessment explores areas including:
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Foundations of Learning – early thinking, problem solving, reasoning and learning skills
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Language and Communication – understanding and using language to communicate
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Eye and Hand Coordination – fine motor and visual-motor skills, including how the hands and eyes work together
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Personal, Social and Emotional Development – relationships, social engagement, independence and emotional development
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Gross Motor Development – movement, balance, coordination and physical skills
The Griffiths is designed specifically for young children, so many activities are play based, interactive and hands on. Your child might build with blocks, look at pictures, complete puzzles, use toys, draw, move around or respond to simple questions and activities.
Global Developmental Delay (GDD) is a diagnosis used for young children who show significant delays across multiple areas of development.
A developmental assessment can help determine whether a child's developmental profile is consistent with GDD by looking across different areas of development and considering the results alongside their developmental history and everyday functioning.
Importantly, developmental assessment is not only about identifying delay.
Understanding the child's individual profile can help identify what they are already doing well, skills that are emerging and areas where targeted support may be most helpful.
Where the assessment raises questions about other developmental or neurodevelopmental differences, your psychologist can discuss whether further assessment or referral may be appropriate.
The Assessment Process
Learning Through Play and Interaction
Developmental assessment with a young child can look quite different from a traditional psychological assessment. Your child might be building with blocks, looking at pictures, playing with toys, moving around the room, answering questions or showing us how they approach different activities.
We understand that young children may be shy, tired, hesitant, active or simply not interested in a particular activity on the day. They are welcome to take time to become comfortable, stay close to a parent or caregiver, move around and have breaks when needed.
We consider your child's communication, sensory and emotional needs and use their interests where possible to support comfortable participation.
There is no expectation for your child to perform perfectly or demonstrate every skill they have. Parents and caregivers are an important part of the process, helping us understand what your child can do across different situations and in everyday life.
Ready to take the next step?
Understanding your child's developmental profile can help make sense of where they are now and guide decisions about what may help them continue to develop and participate in everyday life.
Recommendations may help inform early intervention, therapy, learning environments, everyday strategies and other supports, depending on your child's individual needs.